Food security variation among Indigenous communities in South-western Uganda

We assess whether the household is an apt scale of analysis to examine food insecurity of Indigenous Batwa of Kanungu District, Uganda. Our objectives were: 1) estimate the prevalence and range of food insecurity, 2) estimate the variation in food insecurity associated with household and community factors. The survey was administered 6 times at 3-month intervals (Jan 2013-April 2014). Multilevel modeling was used to determine household and community associations with food insecurity. The Batwa were highly food insecure (97%). Variation in food insecurity that is explained by household and community factors was low. Food insecurity analyses should be considered scale-dependent.

Automated summary

This study aims to examine the food insecurity of the Indigenous Batwa people in Uganda using the household as a scale of analysis. The results of the survey show a high prevalence of food insecurity among the Batwa, with low variation explained by household and community factors. Scale dependency should be considered in food insecurity analyses.